Since this is learning event, we want to hear your thoughts and ideas in the comments below! And, of course, you are invited to join us for the live session and ask our panelists your own questions.

What do you think is the next trend or technology that will have the greatest impact on transportation and parking policy in the near future?

MO: Small data. It’s about taking currently available datasets and using it to better understand how it affects the public. City councils and stakeholders now want the data behind decisions quicker. They want to see the reasons behind our decisions.

JVH: Cities are largely now looking at how to better use technology and data. But we need to take care of those systems as well as pick the ‘right’ data.

AFI Local governments can ascertain a great amount of data i.e. ‘Big Data,’ but how does a city separate informative datasets and from the noise? Beyond that, the staff and resource capacity needed to analyze all that data could be huge and perhaps even wasteful.

What do you think is not currently being addressed in the parking policy, strategy, or technology arena?

JVH: From the technology angle, local governments typically go with what the vendors are supplying, not necessarily finding out what citizens, partners, stakeholder, or others customers really need.

MO: It’s a seemingly ‘catch 22;’ is parking within a community for citizens, tourists, or employees? All these groups want different sets of information and there is always a conflict. Understanding their ‘wants’ and how to prioritize the different parkers will utimately inform how to make it work for different entities.

AFI: Plan and build based on the goals of your communities, not necessarily what others are doing or what is the path of least resistance.

What’s one recommendation that an organization can make today to drastically improve their parking policies and technologies?

We can’t give it all away now. Stay tuned for our panelists response during the live session!